Tired of the same Thanksgiving turkey? Take a page from the senator

By Lee Hill
Nov 27, 2013

Audio: Sen. Michael Bennet describes his Thanksgiving turkey receipe

U.S. Senator Michael Bennett (D-CO).

(Photo: Courtesy of Sen. Michael Bennett)

If you’re tired of the same old Thanksgiving turkey recipe, here's a new twist. It has its roots in India and comes from, of all people, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). Bennet, who was born in India, lived there as an infant and found the recipe in a cookbook called "Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking".

The recipe calls for chicken -- listed in the cookbook as "whole chicken baked in aluminum foil" or "Murgh Musallam" -- and was originally the senator's culinary standard for New Year's Eve.

"A bunch of my friends that enjoyed that meal insisted that we move it to Thanksgiving," Bennet tells Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner.

Bennet continues to say that after some holiday reconfiguration, it became a "whole turkey baked in aluminum foil."

Bennet says the larger bird is a big hit, judging by the reaction of friends at the dinner table.

But for those who dare to try the holiday recipe hoping for similar applause, the senator warns that there's one thing you should know: "It takes a lot more aluminum foil to wrap up a turkey than it does a chicken."